Harbaugh returns to 49ers

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchange•November 16, 2012

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh was supposed to be absent from the team Thursday while he underwent a procedure on his heart, but he apparently couldn't stay away. Harbaugh returned to the 49ers' Santa Clara headquarters from the hospital in time to observe about an hour of Thursday's practice and was with the team for its walk-through practice Friday morning. He plans to be on the sideline for Monday night's game against Chicago. "I'm glad to be back," Harbaugh said, according to the Bay Area News Group. "I'm fine, fine and ready to go to work." Harbaugh went to Stanford medical center Wednesday night because he wasn't feeling well. That's when the corrective procedure for an irregular heartbeat was suggested. An irregular heartbeat can lead to fatigue, which none of the 49ers noticed with Harbaugh. Linebacker Patrick Willis said that Harbaugh wasn't showing any symptoms of illness. "Coach Harbaugh, like he always tells us, he's tougher than a two-dollar steak," Willis said. "We know he's going to be all right." Harbaugh said he experienced a similar problem 13 years ago when he was a quarterback for the San Diego Chargers.